GDT: Minnesota @ Toronto 7:30 SN

[Pi]

It's usually the same posters too.

I think I guessed we'd end up being around bottom 10 of the league at the start of the season. Not expecting that to change with all these rookies and young players developing at the same time.

The rookies aren't the ****ing problem though, it's the player surrounding and playing with the rookies.

I can't believe the amount of excuses people have when the Leafs lose. Babcock has made bad decisions but no one cares here because they are rebuilding.

 

[TimeZone]

The rookies aren't the ****ing problem though, it's the player surrounding and playing with the rookies.

I can't believe the amount of excuses people have when the Leafs lose. Babcock has made bad decisions but no one cares here because they are rebuilding.

Get used to it. You're gonna hear the same thing next year, and quite possibly the year afterwards as well.

 

[Eb]

Pleased with the play.

Was worried early on that this game was going to get bad.

But they continue to find ways to grind it out with even when they don't have it all.

 

[yubbers]

Missed the game

Notable good games and stinkers?

The game in 6 takes a while to get out this year

 

[ErnieLeafs]

We simply don't have all the pieces yet, and the ones we do have are in a major development phase. We're not embarrassingly bad, and that's a positive at this stage, with such a young team.

A change in the winds and this team is right back in the thick of things. This board should be sponsored by Kleenex.

 

[Pi]

Missed the game

Notable great games and stinkers?

Leafs were kept to the outside, people here rejoice because the shots favoured the Leafs after they were trailing the entire game.

 

[hockeyes]

Missed the game

Notable good games and stinkers?

The game in 6 takes a while to get out this year

Bad:
Bozak (outside of a nice goal)
Komarov
Hyman
Sosh
Brown
Carrick
Polak
Hunwick
Gardiner

Good:
Andersen

Everyone else, somewhere in the middle.

 

[Liminality]

The rookies aren't the ****ing problem though, it's the player surrounding and playing with the rookies.

I can't believe the amount of excuses people have when the Leafs lose. Babcock has made bad decisions but no one cares here because they are rebuilding.

Kadri and Carrick who are both relatively young players made bad defensive plays behind the net for the first goal, Carrick and Gardiner are both caught at the blueline for the second goal and Rielly doesn't win the board battle and Zaitsev is caught chasing which leaves Staal open in front for the 3rd goal.

Young players, experiencing and learning. These are the growth pains they go through.

Babcock isn't the one turning the puck over or not covering the man.

 

[WillTheThrill]

Bad:
Bozak (outside of a nice goal)
Komarov
Hyman
Sosh
Brown
Carrick
Polak
Hunwick
Gardiner

Good:
Andersen

Everyone else, somewhere in the middle.

Matthews was good. Again.

 

[Daisy Jane]

Yes, they are.

Nylander on the fourth line.

is he not averaging a lot of time on ice? it could be more that Babcock wants him centring a line vs. playing on the wing. As the organization wants Nylander as a centre, not a winger, why not have him drive a line from now, and when he gets better wingers, bob's your uncle.

Icing Hunwick AND Polak and to put the cherry on top, making a pairing out of them and giving them good minutes.

are they legitimately the reason why we lose every single game since Andersen found his game? Or is it "oh my god, Hunwick and Polak?" I don't think it behooves the team to not play those two, and I could see theoretically why Babcock would rather have 2 than 1. we can't just ice a lineup without those two - and have Marincin and Corrado would not be conducive to success either.

Matthews stuck with Hyman.

Again - I would assume based on how Babcock likes his lines he wants Matthews to learn how to figure things out with a Hyman-esque player and then next year he gets better talent.

Two PP units that each get equal time when we can do much better with one great unit.

To give everyone a go and manage ice time?

Komarov on the PP.

Pump + Dump is my best guess though that was last year.

Those are just some of the many things wrong with the Leafs lineup. I hope Babcock is tanking, otherwise playing a rookie who is on pace for 60 odd points with grinders who can't even crack 10-15 points is Horachek level coaching.

You better hope we are tanking.

Tell me, what's the reason for Nylander being on the fourth line? More balanced scoring ?

Or it could just flat out be learning (for the players) and teaching moments. like geeze. why can't it just be. "Babcock has his reasons and he's looking beyond this season? That you try to crack some of the bad habits (or how he wants them to play so it's reinforced) now when it doesn't matter so when it actually does - it's there. This isn't saying i love or agree with everything, but i mean - why does it have to "Omg we're tanking." (and why does it have to be this huge push towards the playoffs?)

I understand why Babcock wants everyone (in the room etc) to think we can be playoff bound - so they don' think they can slack off in effort, and keep expectations high.

Realistically. even if Babcock iced the dream line up everyone wants - the likelihood of a 30th place team making the playoffs (regardless of how the team is playing, yes I've seen the numbers is really, really low. Only one has done it.

i'll never know why it has to be one or the other and not just - Babcock just will ride the wave and where we end up we end of. If it's playoffs great, if it's middle ground whatever. I don't think he (or we) should be that worked up on individual points like that right now.

 

[yubbers]

Leafs were kept to the outside, people here rejoice because the shots favoured the Leafs after they were trailing the entire game.

Cheers

 

[yubbers]

Bad:
Bozak (outside of a nice goal)
Komarov
Hyman
Sosh
Brown
Carrick
Polak
Hunwick
Gardiner

Good:
Andersen

Everyone else, somewhere in the middle.

Babcock: Stop throwing it up the middle ffs Jake!

Gardiner: I am Groot

Babcock:

 

[PromisedLand]

how is that a theory?
if you get 6 points in 5 game segments you should be making the playoffs - or be relatively close

- 6 points every 5 games = 98.4 points in 82 games

- the 5 game segments to achieve that 6 points goal can be broken down into:
-------------3 wins every 5 games; or 2 wins and 2 OT points; or 1 win and 4 OT points ---------------

- 6 points every 5 games implies 1.2 points per game. Currently, Leafs have 25 points in 25 games which is about 1 point per game.

If 1.2 points on average in a 5 game segment gives you 6 points and over an 82 games gives you 98.4 points then it simply means that Leafs will have to get more than 6 points in few 5 game segments to reach the 1.2 points on average.

that said 98 points might have been good enough to make playoffs under old structure where top 3 teams each from each division got qualitified and there were 5 spots left to fight it out for the rest of the conference.

Now, 3 top teams within the division occupy 3 playoff spots that basically leaves only 2 spots to fight it out for the playoff spot

 

[ECanuck]

There was one shift by Mathews in the D zone that was epic. I was a little shocked with his great board work and physicality.

 

[ECanuck]

Babcock: Stop throwing it up the middle ffs Jake!

Gardiner: I am Groot

Babcock:

Reminds me of when Gardiner starts skating around the ice and doesn't want to let the puck go for a good 10-20 seconds. Sometimes they show Babcock's face and his smile is priceless.

 

[FearTheBeard]

I am glad the Leafs won! I didn't know the team with the most shot wins. Thanks for letting me know.

The point <----



Your head <----



Didnt realize every time a team lost a hockey game they were doing so on purpose. Thanks for letting me know!

 

[Pi]

And so it begins:

Babcock on Nylander: "The reality is, for him to play centre in NHL he's going to have to get way better defensively, way more competitive"

**** Babcock. Bozak is sleeping through most of his assignments but he's going after a rookie who is playing with two grinders and told to perform magic.

I hope Babcock doesn't have enough power to get Nylander traded. If he's traded, it will be worse than Kessel trade #1.

 

[Caesium]

And so it begins:

Babcock on Nylander: "The reality is, for him to play centre in NHL he's going to have to get way better defensively, way more competitive"

**** Babcock. Bozak is sleeping through most of his assignments but he's going after a rookie who is playing with two grinders and told to perform magic.

I hope Babcock doesn't have enough power to get Nylander traded. If he's traded, it will be worse than Kessel trade #1.

God damn you're a whiner.

 

[saffronleaf]

Haven't seen the ACC this passionate in a while. Good to see.

 

[Pi]

God damn you're a whiner.

You are whining about me right now. The ignore button is a tool available on this site, use it instead of whining.

 

[Caesium]

You are whining about me right now. The ignore button is a tool available on this site, use it instead of whining.

I'd rather point out how worthless you are.

 

[Daisy Jane]

And so it begins:

Babcock on Nylander: "The reality is, for him to play centre in NHL he's going to have to get way better defensively, way more competitive"

**** Babcock. Bozak is sleeping through most of his assignments but he's going after a rookie who is playing with two grinders and told to perform magic.

I hope Babcock doesn't have enough power to get Nylander traded. If he's traded, it will be worse than Kessel trade #1.

... that's not what he said.
he's saying that he needs to be better defensively. (true). and be more competitive (i guess more aggressive? i don't know/understand that part so whatever). like i said in the Nylander thread - why? because we HAVE him for 7 more years.

Bozak's gone after two. why waste your time on that. GO after the rookie who is still malleable and can learn how to adjust.

 

[Leafs at Knight]

You are whining about me right now. The ignore button is a tool available on this site, use it instead of whining.

Dude what happened.

Your posts used to be really good.

 

[burpsalot]

Good thing Babcock replaced Mathews with Brown as the extra attacker, who gets perfectly setup and totally whiffs his shot.

Perfectly setup? It was on his inside foot, it was damn impressive that he even got a shot away.

 

[HarrisonFord]

Leafs were kept to the outside, people here rejoice because the shots favoured the Leafs after they were trailing the entire game.

The fact that they didn't score in the third is bad luck and great goaltending. They played terrible in the first period though